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The most recent issue of AARP begins with a short article entitled “Uber and Lyft Disrupting Ambulance Usage”. Fortunately, the article itself was much more balanced that the title was. Why would anyone choose to take Uber or Lyft to the hospital (read ER)? Because, my dear, it costs a whole lot less!

The article notes that emergency medical transport in an ambuance can easily exceed $1,000. I can testify to that, as my oh dark thirty ambulance ride last October was over $1,000. Of that, my insurance covered all but $200. I was not in a position to call Uber or Lyft – I could not breath. If I had called Uber or Lyft, their driver would have to have been out of his or her mind to accept me as a passenger, as I could not breath without great effort.

In a less serious situation, Uber or Lyft I feel is a more than acceptable option. I would rather not see questionable drivers on the road. (As in a driver that starts out their trip to the ER in relatively okay shape, but then takes a turn for the worse.) Interestingly enough, the article states that Lyft is being incorporated into some emergency systems. In such a case scenario, a triage nurse decides whether an individual requires an ambulance or not.

From a conversation that I had with one of my nurses when I was in the hospital, I know that the hospital in question does not allow a patient that is being released to drive themselves home if they have been given pain medication. In such a case, either Uber of Lyft will be called for them.

From my personal perspective, allowing Uber of Lyft to take less serious individuals to the hospital frees up medical resources. Having said that, Uber and Lyft drivers need to use their comon sense – if a prospective passenger looks unstable healthwise, they need to encourage them to call and ambuance.

Note: This is not a review of this book – it is more a quasi “op-ed” piece on what it offers. If you are looking for a review – please move on.

“Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” is a 336 page book chronicling the disaster that has governed the White House ever since Donald Trump took office. I bought the book for the same reason that so many did – because Trump himself tried to stop it from being published. However, I did want to understand the “behind the scenes” view of the author, Michael Wolff, who initially saw this project as being an account of the first one hundred days of this administration. In the end, Wolff covered over eighteen months, culminating with the appointment of retired general John Kelly as the new Chief of Staff, and the exit of chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon. Wolff interviewed President Trump himself, as well as members of his senior staff, taping many of the interviews. Some of the interviews were off the record, some were meant to provide “deep background”.

The book reads like a conversation between friends – some truth, some rumor, some conjecture. It is an easy read, but the reader needs to sort fact from fiction on their own. The importance of this book for me was the insiders view of the inter- relationships between those who work in the White House, how they view the president (and each other), and how these relationships change over time.

Wolff is an author and journalist who has contributed to USA Today, the Hollywood Reporter, and the UK edition of GQ, and is the author of seven books, including “Burn Rate” (a book about his own company), and “The Man Who Owns The News” (a biography of Rupert Murdoch). He co-founded the website Newser, and is a former editor of Adweek. For those who might question his credentials, the train wreck that has been this administration has been so well documented in the news that I would say “Take with you what you will.” There are some errors, including wrong job titles, indicating that it could have been better edited, but the gist of the book, which is a running commentary on the inter-relationships between those working in the White House, is pure gold! And we get incredibly believable descriptions of various events, and how they played out.

This is a presidency that was never meant to be – candidate Trump did not think that he was going to win, nor did his campaign staff, so he was totally unprepared to take office. They never have come up to speed. Nor will they.

We have Trump himself, with a questionable business and personal history, a narcissist who has a low level of comprehension of anything, who has an ego that constantly needs to be fed, who will not listen to others, who gets up and walks out of meetings when he is bored, and who does not seem to have the ability to read or understand what he is being given to read. Who now announces that he is a “very stable genius”. We also have Trump’s claims that he was wire-tapped by President Obama, and Trump distancing himself from Roger Aisles (former CEO of Fox News, and a somewhat mentor to Steve Bannon), while trying to befriend media mogul Rupert Murdoch (who has allegedly referred to Trump as a f***ing idiot).

We have Trump’s daughter Ivanka, and son-in-law Jared, who have their own agenda, and were/are at constant odds with Steve Bannon. (I do have to say that I thought these two were educated people who might be able to influence Trump in a good way. It turns out they only want to influence Trump to their benefit. I was also surprised to see that Jared’s father in many ways resembles Trump.) We also find out that Ivanka is entertaining the idea of running for president at some point in time herself.

We have Steve Bannon, former chief strategist for the White House, former investment banker, former executive chairman of Breitbart news, educated at Harvard Business School, and a former Naval Officer. He mistrusts Ivanka and Jared, as much as they mistrust him.

We have Kellyanne Conway, who is a political consultant, Trump’s former campaign manager, and current counselor to the president. She loves to appear on national TV, and is very defensive of Trump (while not making much sense), but behind his back she talks another story.

We have Dina Powell, former managing director and partner at Goldman Sachs, and president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation, who was brought in by Ivanka Trump. She is currently National Security Advisor for Strategy with the Trump administration. She is allegedly planning on leaving her job soon.

We have Reince Priebus, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, serving as White House Chief of Staff (January 20th, 2017 – July 31st, 2017).

We have Rex Tillerson, former Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobile, and current Secretary of State (who allegedly referred to Trump as a “f***ing moron”).

The takeaway for me from this book is that Trump is exactly what he seems to be – an illiterate narcissist that does not like to make decisions, who does not do well in meetings, who refuses to be educated on the running of the government (our government), and who believes his own opinions, whether they have a base or not. His staff does not respect him (nor do they have a reason to), and they all work double-time to keep him from making mistakes (or just plain making an ass of himself). More than one of them are allgedly looking for the right time to leave their jobs and return to the private sector. Everyone in the White House is looking for leverage to further their own careers/agenda.

The continuous leaks from the White House? I thought they were from mid-level staff, but it turns out that most of them were either from major players at the White House (who leaked information in order to keep other major players in line), or inadvertently from Trump himself, in one of the many calls that he made to well placed friends every night. Steve Bannon was also the source of many strategic leaks.

Now it looks like there is a chance of this book being made into a TV series. Endeavor Content has purchased the film and television rights to Fire and Fury – Inside The Trump White House”. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but it may happen.

“What Happened”, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, covers her run for presidency against Donald Trump, and the disastrous aftermath. Disastrous for Hillary Clinton, and disastrous for our country. (Yes, this is a biased review – I am a diehard Clinton fan. If you disagree with that – don’t waste your time here, just mosey on.)

I immediately found it interesting that there was a book out there that is basically a copycat, refuting Clinton’s book. It is entitled

“Everybody Knows What Happened Except Hillary Rodham Clinton”, and was written by Dr. John Bridges. I would note here that all of his other books are about how to be a gentleman – nothing in the political genre. I have not read the book, nor do I intend to. The cover is a replica of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s book – with a title change. I mention this book because how many books are taken so seriously that someone feels the need to refute them in this manner. For those who wish to throw their money away, Dr. Bridges book can be found here.

“In the past, for reasons I try to explain, I’ve often felt I had to be careful in public, like I was up on a wire without a net. Now I’m letting my guard down.” —Hillary Rodham Clinton, from the introduction of “What Happened”.

I have followed the Clinton’s since Bill Clinton ran for president. I voted for him, and I voted for Hillary. I totally understand where the title for this book came from. The day after the election, when Trump had been declared the winner, we were all in shock, going “What happened?” It has not gotten better over time. I am very happy to see this book come out, as it gives Hillary Rodham Clinton the space to tell her side of the story, and it allows the reader to get a behind the scenes view of her campaign. It is part political commentary, part memoir – and all heart. The tone of the book is conversational (i.e. kitchen table), which may irritate some readers, but it flows, which is what we want any book to do, and reflects who Hillary Rodham Clinton is.

Hillary Rodham Clinton was the first woman to be nominated to run for president from a major political party, and her journey was not an easy one. The campaign against her was vicious, including hidden interference by Russia, constant reference to the private server e-mail brouhaha, then Director of the FBI James Comey’s letter to Congress concerning the e-mails, and the issue referencing Benghazi. (And how many of us remember Trump following her around the stage during the presidential debate in St. Louis. That was scary!)

“What Happened” is broken down into sections: Perseverance, Competition, Sisterhood, Idealism and Realism, Frustration, and Resilience. I found this to have value, in that it allowed Clinton to express her views as a statesperson, as a woman, and as an individual.

We are given insight into the DNC itself, and how that energy affected her campaign. We hear personal stories about names that we see in the media daily. We see how some decisions that were made hindered the campaign, and how others moved it forward. We see how Hillary Rodham Clinton interacted with individuals and groups that she met as she campaigned, and how they affected her thoughts and her visions.

In the end, we see how we got here, and we see what we need to do as individuals to change the future into a better place. We see that sitting on our hands won’t help – that we need to take action on what we want to happen, even if it is a simple phone call to a political representative, an e-mail (or snail mail) giving our opinion, or a donation to help the campaign of someone who is running for office who holds our view of the future.

There is hope for the future. “Love and kindness” was a staple of the Clinton campaign – it should be a staple for all of us in how we live our lives. At the end of the book, Clinton talks about an umbrella organization that she helped form called http://onwardtogether.org. Through this organization funds are being raised to help support and give advice to groups that are working to make grassroots change in the Democratic party.

I encourage everyone to read this book – especially women. I say especially women, because one of the things that Hillary Rodham Clinton has had to face all of her professional life is that she is a woman, and as such, has her “place”. That, and the fact that she is a very decisive individual, which is not accepted well by male colleagues.

It is a wonder that this book was ever written – considering all of the “Crooked Hillary” nonsense that went on, and is still going on. Writing this book was part of her healing process – reading it can be part of ours as readers. We are not just reading about history here – we have lived this history with her!

“Walking Man,” here is the secret of life …
Nature is the medicine and solution for
everyone and for all issues and situations.
Nature, itself, is the “Holy Grail of Life.”
People have searched for this magic all over
the world since the beginning of time but don’t
find it because they don’t see the forest for the trees.”
Green Man’s response to James

This review is for the print version of this book. It is interesting to note that in the forward (which I wrote for the digital version) I am talking about how delighted I am with the links to video material that are live”, because of the digital nature of the book. The links are still there in the print version, of course, but they are not live. Only in Harry Potter’s world would that be happening!

For me, James Wanless IS the Greening Man. I have watched him grow over the years, as the creator of the “Voyager Tarot”, author of “Intuition At Work” (a book on being successful at all levels of life), to his latest book, “Sustainable Life: The New Success” (where he examines nature, neuroscience, psychology, and the powers of the mind). He is also the creator of a new deck, the “Sustain Yourself Cards”.

“Book One: SEED”, is the first book in a four-part series on greening and sustainability. It is written as a dialog between James and Greening Man. Greening Man? You thought that should be Green Man, perhaps? It seems that Green Man is a noun, rather a static state. Greening Man is a verb – a state of action, a state of being and becoming. Much better to have Greening Man as your mentor! It is interesting, because of course this is a dialog between James and his inner self. I recently read “The Awakening Human Being”, by Barbara Berger (With Tim Ray), where she shares an internal dialog that she is having with herself. Is this synchronicity, or what!

James was at a pointing his life where he wanted change. His decision was to call on the ever-renewing Green Man for advice. So he wrote Green Man a letter. He wrote it by hand, and added color and images to make it interesting.This letter was the beginning of a dialog that I think I am safe in saying will never end. What follows is an exercise in connecting with some very deep parts of self, and coming to some very mind-boggling realizations.

The answer to James’ letter was almost instantaneous – a true “Come To Green Man” moment of channeled wisdom! The Green Man is perpetual life, as well as the guardian of that life. James was informed that through his disconnect with nature, he had lost the way for renewing his life. The Green Man offered to be his guide to reconnect him with nature. From being asleep in the wintertime of his life, James has been awakened!

Now there are a whole bunch of “re’s”: RE-awakening, RE-peat, RE-start, RE-store, RE-cover. About this time the song “Respect” by Aretha Franklin floated into my mind and took up residence. All of this is in honor of a sustainable life.

The dialog continues between James and the Greening Man. James is urged to find his green path … to experience it fully. And he does. He is on the Holy Grail Tail. He shares this path, and the wisdom that he has gained through text, poetry, black and white images, and You Tube videos. (Watch the videos – they are stunning!)

We are at a turning point in our world, and in our lives. We are acknowledging the need to reconnect with nature, with Green Man and Green Woman. Success in all areas of our life really depends on this.

James and the Greening Man talk about the Deadlies (shadows that hold us back), and how to move forward in sustaining ourselves. The Greening Man notes that we are nature, we are not just out there observing nature. We have a need to feel fresh, vibrant, and creative. James is told to keep a journal of his journey, and to work with a coach.

James is held accountable. He has to show that he understands and is fully experiencing what Greening Man is telling him. That is a lesson for all of us!
This book is one that you need to experience yourself to get full value. And there is a tremendous amount of value to be found here!

Author: James Wanless, Ph.D.
The Living Future
2012
ISBN #978-0-9833024-8-4

“Sustainability is the new success, because it’sa sustainable success, and it’s not a given. It’s anability – the “sustain-ability” – that needs to be learned and exercised. In “Sustainable Life”, noted futurist JamesWanless, Ph.D.examines the principles of personalsustainability as the means of living a healthy, whole life – achieving a personal sustainability and contributing toglobal sustainability through our personal choices.”from the back of the book

We definitely have a road map for leading a good life in this incredible book. In his preface, Wanless notes that there is no particular way or form to follow, that it is the energy behind whatever we do that sustains us the most.

In Part One, Wanless presents us with a roadmap for sustainability. Part Two talks about “sustainabilities”, including adapting, growing, seeds of change, the fruits of growth, and breaking through a break point. Part Three addresses the sustainable you, including the creative mind, the heart of motivation, the renewable body, an inspired life of destiny, and synergy. Part Four addresses sustainable work – productive right livelihood. Part Five addresses sustainable love. Part Six addresses a sustainable world, including community and mother nature. Part Seven addresses sustainable future. Part Eight is the sustain-ability gym – an action journal for recording personal insights and progress.

“Sustainable Life” is illustrated throughout with full color images from Wanless’ “Sustain Yourself Cards”. They are a wonderful accompaniment to the “green wisdom” contained in this book. I love that throughout the book Wanless asks us to question ourselves, such as “What talents hae I unused, or underused? Where have I underperformed, and how have I undervalued myself?”

We are encouraged to build and maintain a healthy environment around us, to take care of ourself, and to become completely healthy. We are encouraged to balance our four essential faculties: thinking, feeling, sensing, and knowing.

The final chapter is after my own heart … a series of questions for the reader to answer, along with actions that they develop for themselves. Questions include: “Why do you want to be more sustain-able?”, “How are you not authentic?”, “How have you undervalued yourself?”, and “What outer resources are you developing?”.

Gray Kochhar-Lindgren is Associate Vice Chancellor For Undergraduate Learning, and Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences with the University of Washington, Bothel. In the summer of 2014 he will be taking a position as Professor and Director of the Common Core at the University of Hong Kong. It is through the lens of this perception that we can understand how this book came to be.

“Kant In Hong Kong” is a lovely web that is woven around Hong Kong, experiencing Hong Kong, and the philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant in his time was famous for his walks in his hometown of Konigsberg, so it is not a stretch to walk with him through the ultra-modern city of Hong Kong. The author moves up and down the travelator between Queen’s Road Central and the Mid-Levels, takes the bus to the beach at Shek-O, and visits the Temple of Tin Hau. As readers, we experience Kant and his thoughts in Kowloon, Hung Hom, Sheung Wan, and Admirality … with a few thoughts of Seattle and its lifestyle thrown in for good measure!

Opening this book took me through a time warp that allowed me to feel that I was actually walking along with Immanuel Kant, while at the same time I felt that I was walking the streets of modern-day Hong Kong. We start out at the Stanley Ho Sports Complex, and the question “What forms the whole?” We find Kant sitting at the swimming pool, dressed in his Prussian suit.

I loved the mention of Pacific Coffee Company … primarily because I love everything to do with coffee! It is a cafe on Wellington Street, surrounded by music and activity. Here we read about how the past infuses the present, and the palace of memory. Gentle words that will bring back memories for each and every reader.

Throughout this book we experience Hong Kong through all of our senses. We contemplate Kant and his philosophy, and how it applies to the here and now. Through this little walking tour (although we are not walking all of the time), we experience the past, the present, and the future in myriad ways.

Kochhar-Lindgren says it best, when he says:

“Reading Kant teaches us to do philosophy, to walk the streets of philosophy, a task that we never quite understand but that we nevertheless continue to take on as an act of faith – faith in reading, writing, the senses, thinking, and walking – that, occasionally, is punctuated with a quick pirouette of joy that comes upon us as if from nowhere and lifts us upon the toes of our scuffed shoes. Walking the streets also teaches us to read philosophy in a more fruitful manner, to test its abstractions against the rhythms of the MTR or of Nathan Road. It brings philosophy back into the city, where the whole peculiar story began.”

(c) 2000 – 2014 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without the written permission of the author.

“The Awakening Human Being” is a tap on the shoulder from universe to not only remain in the present, but to remain aware in the present. Her focus is on waking up the nature of mind, through the use of what she terms “Mental Laws”. I dearly love the “toolbox” of effective techniques that she offers her readers to help them live a happy, harmonious life. That in itself makes this book worth its weight in gold!

The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 – Principle (The Mental Laws/the Way the Mind Works), Part 2 – Practice (Using the Power of Mind Wisely, and Part 3 – In Your Life (Putting It All Into Practice). There is also a bonus section where Bollum talks to Barbara – a take-off on Smeagol/Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings”, where two parts of Barbara converse with each other – the part that is waking up to reality, and the part that is still confused. This is absolutely hysterical … and yes, I for one did see echoes of conversations that I have had/continue to have in my head!

In her introduction, Berger starts out by asking the question “What are you seeking?” No matter what response is given, when broken down to its essence, we are all seeking happiness. Rather, we are all seeking a way out of suffering, and a way into happiness. Where do we make our mistake? We are looking for happiness outside of ourselves, rather than through connecting with reality. That would be the reality that is, not the reality that we create with our thoughts. She goes on to talk about the nature of laws – both physical laws and mental laws. She presents a beautiful list of what laws are, which includes: “Laws are invisible principles”, “Laws are impersonal”, ”Laws are always operating”, and “Laws are scientific”. The last definition is key to this book – “Laws are scientific”. This book takes a scientific look at the mind, our conscious self, and how they relate to reality and the search for happiness.

Each mental law builds on the one before it, beginning with how thoughts arise and disappear. The tone of this book is user friendly – the facts are presented with a dose of humor, and ways, in which the reader can check them out for themselves, as they operate in their own life, are presented. A simple statement in this book can be quite profound … such as “There is a difference between you and your thoughts, “, which Berger calls the key to freedom.

Throughout the book are insets entitled reality checks that highlight important information in each chapter. We might read about “Reality checks: Content versus context”, or “Reality check: Quantum mechanics”, or “Reality check: The mind-emotion-body connection”.

“Be the love you want to experience.”

from the book

The material in this book echo’s like material elsewhere, but much expanded, and with a focus on Oneness … not just wholeness, but Oneness. We are here to be part of a functioning whole, not just to be the best individual that we can be,

Berger provides her readers with two different types of tools of empowerment: focus tools and investigative tools. Focus tools include gratitude lists, power questions, noticing the support around you, meditation, contemplating the nature of reality, and letting everything be. Investigative tools include no comparisons, doing the work, focusing on the real, and expectations versus reality.

Confused about how to put it all together? Berger presents sample daily programs, with elements that the reader can tailor to their own lifestyle and needs. It all comes together in one neat package! More than just a book to read, here the reader is given ways to effect changes into their life that will bring them the harmony and happiness that they desire.